Wellness - ALCOHOL

OK, OK! I know it’s Thursday! I had a busy day yesterday plus I had a newsletter to write, but we’re all here now :)

So, just to recap on October’s wellness; firstly we talked about how our overall wellness depends on everything that we are putting into our bodies. Basically, in order to be well all over- mind and body, we must be aware of everything we are putting in our bodies, like; food, drink, chemicals, exercise of any kind, prescribed and non-prescribed drugs, and then, all the things we put in our mind, like; stress, anxiousness, worry and pressure. All in the correct amounts beneficial to our holistic health.

We started with food and I gave you a meal planner to download so you can plan, shop and eat a bit better. I explained that if the food you buy has been prepared or cooked by someone else try not to eat it. We have to be realistic, in the 21st century we do not have time to make bread, crisps, crackers etc., etc., but if we can apply this to the maximum amount of food we can we will at least be consciously trying to avert all of the diseases linked to diet. Remember, you are only 30-40 minutes away from a delicious, fresh, chemical-free, home cooked meal.

Diet is the second highest risk factor for early death from cancer after smoking. Other high risks are high blood glucose which can lead to diabetes, high blood pressure, high body mass index (BMI) and high total cholesterol. All of these can be related to eating the wrong foods, although there are also other causes.

The next week we talked about de-stressing, getting less anxious, worry less and how not to put pressure on ourselves by maintaining our bodies and our mind with regular therapeutic massage.

I explained the huge list of ailments, diseases and disorders that massage, at the very least, really helps turn it around from a pain point of view, and at most, leaves you feeling completely ache and pain-free. Everything from relieving arthritis pain, fibromyalgia pain and all range of back and muscle problems, to helping people with stress, headaches and migraines, increases blood circulation and lowers blood pressure, helps depression and anxiety, making you feel uplifted and hopeful among many, many others.

Next, was exercise, I know! Eugh! But it’s Ok, I discovered, to my delight, while watching episode 6 of ‘Trust me, I’m a doctor, the other week, you can see it here, they carried out a 12 week experiment on two groups of people, one group did Zumba, one did Tai Chi and they compared things like blood pressure, heart rate, antioxidant levels, general fitness and lots more, only to find that they both had the same results! Excellent!

That brings us to this week; Alcohol. Most of us enjoy a social glass or two of our favourite tipple or even the odd bottle of wine, but unfortunately 337,000 of us were admitted to hospital in 2016-17 in directly related alcohol incidents, 7,327 of us died from alcohol misuse in 2016-17. The number of prescription items dispensed in England directly related to alcohol misuse in 2016-17 was 188,000 prescription items, a cost to the NHS of 4.46 million pounds. The misuse of alcohol causes many brain deficiencies and disorders not to mention many physical diseases. We just need to understand that moderation is the key here. There are other ways we can take the pressure of and de-stress, like meditation and talking it over with a sympathetic ear.

If you need help with alcohol misuse or addiction and want to live a healthier, happier life contact me on any of the following to arrange your first step to a happier life. You can read about our Talking Therapy here.